Robert came to me after House Church and shared his real comment(s) with me about our text this morning, and interestingly enough they go along with a book I read recently by Mark Galli called 'Jesus Mean and Wild'.
We read Luke 10:38-42 this morning, where Jesus is at the home of Martha and Mary. Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen the better thing by sitting and listening to Jesus (so Robert said to me, 'it seemed like Jesus is kind of cocky...like he is saying that what Martha was doing was poop!' -- at least that's a loose paraphrase of what he said).
That is the basic question at the heart of Mark Galli's book. He says that when you strip away all the other trappings and actually listen to what Jesus is saying a lot of it is really hard to swallow. He makes an interesting point, because I think most people actually resonate with Martha in this story...I mean, if you have Jesus in your home, don't you want it to be clean and serve Him your best? Yet, Jesus says to Martha that Mary has chosen the only necessary thing and it will not be taken from her (by implication then what Martha is doing will be removed from her).
Can we hear Jesus for what He is really saying?
6 comments:
I wish I could have heard the discussion at house church about this text because I would like to hear people's thoughts on it. But even though I'm missing out on your thoughts, I want to share. Every time I read this story I think, "yeah, I see what Jesus is saying and I know what is best, but once class is over and "The Teacher" is finished teaching, everyone's going to be really mad if supper isn't ready."
I got something completely different from this passage I guess than what everyone else did.
I read it over and over again after I got home. To me it seems like, Martha, while preparing for everyone and cleaning or cooking, was making THAT her priority... and not Jesus.
It's almost like me, I worry about all these things and constantly stress the little things and think, "why am I the only one doing this" or "God, little help here?" But I really think Mary had the right choice. She listened. She put all that aside and sat with him and listened to him.
I also looked up the different versions of it and the KJ was my favorite...
41 "And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
To me this passage isn't so much about Mary not helping, or Jesus taking a stab at Martha.. but more about her priorities. If I were in the presence of Christ I wouldn't worry if my lasagna was on the right temp. I'd be more worried I was missing out on his word.
What I took away from this is, not to worry so much about things going on around me and just LISTEN more. I may be asking the wrong questions. I need to just shut up.. and listen.
-Leslie
It's interesting, Lester, I think you are on to something here, but I struggle with it.
After 20 years of working for Churches, setting up thousands of chairs, taking down hundreds of tables, serving countless cups of coffee and lemonade, holding babies, etc. I think I have a lot of Martha in me. I empathize with her -- I really and truly feel like her heart is in the right place (I, too have done a lot of thankless serving over the years). But Jesus says there is something better -- and Mary has chosen it. I admit my own struggles to grasp that concept.
I also completely understand what Cyndi is saying, because I have lived it for 20 years now. While it is nice to sit at the Savior's feet, how do we do that AND feed the family?
There has to be some balance here, and I am not always sure how to find it!
Well, after reading this again this week, I noticed that Jesus doesn't fuss at Martha until she complains and whines about her sister not helping. I think he wasn't upset about her preparing supper, but about her heart being full of jealousy that her sister got to sit around while she worked.
I keep coming back to his phrasing...
'Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things...but few things are needed--or indeed only one.'
Is it the fact of her distracted focus that is the problem? I have trouble focusing on one thing...was that Martha's trouble as well? For instance, is it possible that Martha could choose well to cook and clean, and mary could choose well to sit and listen? But Martha can't choose to cook and clean AND be boss of Mary? Or is it simply that Mary made a better overall choice of what to say and do?
Fred Craddock says this...
'If we censure Martha too harshly, she may abandon serving altogether, and if we commend Mary too profusely, she may sit there forever. There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect. Knowing which and when is a matter of spiritual discernment.'
OK, so throw out my last comment...Fred says it much better and much more simply!
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